Not A Blind Date did a feature on 94 of the Best Free Software Applications that are Better than Purchased Software which is cool by the way but I can’t help to wonder what comparison are they making with.
They went on to place AVG in their list as the best anti-virus software. It’s probably the best free anti-virus software but it’s just not the best in the field. Best Image Editor is given to GIMP too when Photoshop is clearly superior.
And there is the Best Md5 Checksum Creator/Checker, since when someone is trying to sell a MD5 checker? Best Office Suite goes to OpenOffice, I don’t think the author check out Office 2007.
The list has nothing to do with recommending a free software that’s better than the paid counterpart. But some free software is actually worth noting.
I would recommend some of the free software:
- 7-zip if you want to open RAR and ZIP file. You can’t create RAR files with it though.
- Google’s Picasa excels in photo organizing. I think it’s better than the Windows Vista one.
- NotePad++ for HTML editor. It’s quick and easy to use.
- µTorrent is quick, simple and not at all resource hogging!
- YamiPod is great when you want to add songs into your iPod without iTunes installed.
- Audacity does its job well in editing audio files.
- Scribus is a free layout and publishing software. Think of it as a free and open source Adobe InDesign, however you can’t get too serious with this tool.
- Filezilla does its FTP job well. It doesn’t have the prettiest interface but it just works!
- Free Download Manager is my favorite free download manager.
- I personally prefer Opera to Firefox or Internet Explorer. All 3 browsers are good though, use what you’re familiar with and don’t bother switching but keep your software to the latest version!
- Blender is does an acceptable job in 3D modelling. Of course it can’t compete with the bigger boys but it’s free.
- Combined Community Codec Pack is a great codec pack.
- Windows Live Messenger is good for keeping up with your pals.
- Eraser cleans your files completely. It’ll overwrite the sectors till its unretrievable.
- If you want to die early but need a free Office program, check out OpenOffice. It’s the best free software.
- AVG antivirus software protects your computer. It has a free one and one that you have to pay for.
- Inkscape is a vector editing program. Not as powerful as Illustrator but it remains my favorite tool to use for vector edits. It’s quick and easy.
- Try Paint.NET if you hate GIMP.
- I prefer Foxit Reader for reading PDF over Adobe Reader. I love the quicker loading in my slow computer.
The software list above is what I have used before, perhaps you can take a look and you may just find the right tool for you too. Some are open source, some aren’t but they’re all free.
Tags: list, open source, software